Would it be fair for me to adopt a dog or cat ?

Happy in Wyoming · 03-17-2011, 01:51 PM

I guarantee that this very minute there is a dog at a local pound who wants to be your dog, who will never complain about your schedule, and who will love you for yourself and be thrilled to go to work with you.. Go get him (or her).

Cats are great; but they're not dogs. And you want a dog. You could always get two cats as well to guard your home while you're gone. Cats and dogs are often great friends.

romargrey · 03-17-2011, 01:59 PM

Make sure whatever you get , it is independent enough minded to not care about the change of schedules... or may you come home to a mess. I would contact an animal behaviorist , we have one at cornell University or go through your local SPCA (shelter staff referral to animal behaviorist) to find out about personalities of your new pet... never assume that your new animal is adaptable to change of routine.. you may be disappointed in how your house got torn apart or how they used it to mark new territory. Glad you are questioning the new addition!

suedonym · 03-17-2011, 05:17 PM

i would adopt sibling kitties from a shelter

they can love you when you are there, and love each other when you are at work!

nwcountrygal · 03-17-2011, 08:12 PM

Depending on your schedule and days of travel? I would always say adopt a cat - really two cats if your gone alot to entertain eachother. If you are looking for a true compainion than a small size dog if you can take in car around to your jobs. Travel with a dog isn't really that hard for hotels etc on mainland. I am both a cat person and dog person but.. most cats (or people) don't travel with cats. Cats also need that constant bond with their human. And get more pissed off than a dog without it.

I travel with my big dog (huge border collie) and I will say sometimes it isn't to his benifit. Although a cat couldn't deal with the same travels. In hind site if I could (not that I would) I would pick a smaller breed not toy. Maybe a Corgie or medium small mutt type that liked to hang out in car. Not a hyper breed. Most Best Westerns and many more hotel chains allow dogs. Yes you would have to pay for luggage of a dog on mainland if you do it if flying. That is in the committment. Or hiring a dog sitter but I really believe they prefer to be with you than that.

Good luck it is possible never perfect.

california-jewel · 03-30-2011, 05:39 PM

Well for protection purposes, and companionship of course a dog would be better. But with your schedule and all, a cat would problably be much easier for you to take care of, cats don't mind being on their own, infact most cats have a mind of their own!!!!!!!!! All in all i love both, have had both, but at the point again in my life where we now have loving dogs.

Dogs to get a bit lonely when they are left home for certain periods of time , they could cry and whine, then get into things. Cats are independent little guys, who don't mind being on their own, think for you i would go for a loving fluffy, cutie cat.

CAM2 · 03-31-2011, 06:35 AM

My experience with the working & having toy dogs did not work for me. I was gone for 8 to 9 hrs. 5 days a wk. When I came home (apartment) I had to clean up poop/pee most every day as they could not hold it for that period. They also barked a lot while I was gone. My mother ended up taking them & all worked out fine as she was home most of the day. They both lived very long lives.

I took in a couple of cats & they worked out perfectly as they had each other for companionship. They had lots of toys to amuse themselves. They used their litter box & I could even leave them over weekends with plenty of food/water available.

When I decided to buy a home, I bought a large breed pup. A relative came to the house a couple of times a day to feed & walk the pup. He was crate trained so I had no problems with him chewing or destroying the house while unattended. This situation worked out.

Finally, I decided to quit working which is ideal for me. I now have two dogs & three cats. I have the time to spend with them on walks, swimming, playing etc.

You mentioned in your post that sometimes you are gone for several days. This may or may not work with a dog with issues. You would need a calm, independant, nonbarker type who does not chew. You would probably have to kennel it or have someone come to walk & feed the dog. Taking the dog with you might be one solution but some states have laws concerning leaving a dog unattended in a car even with the windows opened.

Best of luck with your decision.

Lolipopbubbles · 03-31-2011, 06:51 AM

If you choose to get cats, I would get 2 for companionship, please make sure you keep a lot of fresh water out for them. They sometimes play with it or get thirsty more than usual and you don't want them going without fresh water for days at a time. Automatic food dispensers are great for feeding dry food. You could do that with water too but personally I don't care for them when it comes to the water. I just don't like leaving it out to go stale and sort of stagnant for days at a time. The little bowl the water goes into gets dirty real fast. I prefer to leave out a few fresh bowls out for mine. If you have the room you might want to get two litter pans too.